Order of Merit of the Police Forces

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Two leaders of the Waterloo Regional Police Service are being honoured in Ottawa this week.

Chief Matt Torigian and Deputy Chief Brent Tomlison will be invested into the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.

It recognizes the outstanding effort of members and employees of Canadian police services.

There are three different levels of Order of Merit: Commander, Officer, and Member. Torigian will be bestowed Officer of the Order of Merit (O.O.M.), and Tomlison will receive Member of the Order of Merit (M.O.M.).

Torigian told 570 News he’s honoured, “it’s really an honour and a privilege, to say the least, to be included with a long list of distinguished police leaders.”

Torigian and Tomlison join a pair of retired WRPS Order of Merit recipient colleagues. Retired Deputy Chief Mike Mann, M.O.M., and retired Chief of Police Larry Gravill, Commander of the Order of Merit (C.O.M.).

Torigian said while it’s great to be invested, it wouldn’t have happened without the efforts of all the WRPS members, “while it’s great to be honoured, and I’m certainly not down-playing it, it’s a service-wide award. Every member of our police service worked to bring this recognition to our organization.”

Governor General of Canada, David Johnston, will preside over the investiture ceremony, at Rideau Hall tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.

Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces are first nominated and then selected by a panel made up of members of the Canadian Association of the Chiefs of Police, and the Governor Generals office.